Mind-Body Interventions for Mood Disorders in Older Adults

Figure 1: Group differences in metabolic brain changes in the right inferior frontal
cortex. Cross-sectional view displays the crosshair intersection at 30, 26, −24 mm
(x,y,z) coordinates within the right inferior frontal area. Lighter pixels represent the regions of the brain that were significantly different between the meditation group and the relaxation group over time (t = 4.74 with P = .001; 160 contiguous voxels at P < .01).

Figure 2: Group differences in metabolic brain changes in the left associative visual
cortex. Cross-sectional view displays the crosshair intersection at −44, −74, −16
mm (x,y,z) coordinates within the left associative visual cortex. Lighter pixels represent
the regions of the brain that had lower metabolism in the meditation group compared
with the control group post-intervention (t = 4.15; P = .002).

Acknowledging that colleagues and others often ask her to differentiate between aerobic and mind-body exercise as regards individual responses, Lavretsky described an observational study she and others conducted at a local YMCA that clarified the distinctions.1

Twenty routinely participated in a yoga or Tai Chi class and 22 routinely participated in an aerobic exercise class for at least 60 minutes per week. Questionnaires profiling participants’ mood states, general health functioning, sleep, and pain levels were reviewed.

In general, Lavretsky said, participants in yoga or Tai Chi classes had significantly greater levels of vitality and lower levels of tension, depression, anger, confusion, and fatigue, as determined from their mental health component scores. Furthermore, they had significantly higher mental health composite summary scores on the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey and fewer sleep problems than did those in the aerobic exercise group.

Augmenting antidepressants

Despite gains in the treatment of major depression in recent decades, Lavretsky said that “only about 30% of older depressed patients achieve remission with the first-line antidepressant pharmacotherapy.”

Lavretsky described one of the first randomized controlled trials to test the efficacy of complementary use of Tai Chi Chih (TCC), an abbreviated form of Tai Chi that involves 20 movements, versus health education (HE), an active control intervention, as an adjunct to standard antidepressant treatment of geriatric depression.2

Disclosures:

Figures 1 and 2 are reproduced from Aging Health, October 20125 with permission of Future Medicine Ltd.